Reconciliation
by ValarPrime98
Summary: OR James & Snape: Unlikely Friends. OR James Potter's Heroic Sacrifice. I dunno, cos this fic pretty much merges all 3 titles. Basically kid of an AU, where James reconciles with Snape during Harry's fifth year. Featuring OP!DADA Teacher James Potter


**Author's Note: I wrote this fic because I came across lots of fics featuring James coming back from the dead and helping Harry in school, therefore regularly coming into conflict with Snape. So, since I _hated_ all the fighting between them, I thought, why not let them reconcile?**

Severus Snape glared murderously at the man in front of him.

"What do you want, Potter?!" He spat.

Of all the people to come back from the dead in Harry's fifth year, it just had to be James sodding Potter. His hated rival throughout Snape's years at Hogwarts. Now that James was the stand-in Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year (giving Snape another reason to hate James even more), they had been forced to see each other often when walking in corridors, entertaining the students with glaring and shouting matches between the two. However, though James still looked at Snape with a fair bit of resentment, he seemed... calmer.

"I'm not here to argue with you, Snape." He said, in a calm, controlled voice.

"Then why are you here? Has precious Potter finally lost that false bravery and courage that he always put up?" Snape sneered.

James's eye twitched, and his jaw tightened, using all his willpower to resist the urge to make a snarky comeback. He simply stared at Snape, who tried his best to look surprised that there was no reaction from James at all. They went on staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity, the silence so palpable you could hear a pin drop...

"I'm sorry."

"W-w-what?!"

"I'm sorry." James swallowed, it was so, so incredibly hard to him to shove away his pride, but he continued, "I'm sorry for all the jinxing and hexing and bullying I did to you in Hogwarts, and I'm sorry for treating you like dirt, and I would like us to get along."

Snape stared at James in absolute shock for a moment, his mouth gaping slightly, before he seemed to have remembered himself and sneered nastily.

"Very amusing, Potter, but you must think me blind if I can't see what's going on. This is about your _son_ , isn't it?" James bristled.

"So what if it is?" He said defensively.

"Well, hate to break it to you, Potter, but I gain far too much enjoyment from treating your son in my classes exactly like how you treated me, so NO! I will not forgive you, and I will continue doing my utmost to make sure your son's life here is a living hell." Snape snarled at James vindictively, watching with savage pleasure as James's face turned bright red, his eyes blazing dangerously, he was going to explode any moment...But then, he sighed, running a calloused hand through his untidy black hair, and gave Snape another shock of his life.

"Severus, don't you think this war between us has gone on long enough?"

Snape forcibly snapped his gaping mouth shut and bared his teeth.

"No. Not until you have paid me back for every single insult and bit of suffering and agony you have caused me." James groaned and rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Then curse me. Insult me. Oh, wait, you've already done them all! Don't you see how pointless this whole thing is? How much hurt and damage it's causing? I won't deny it, Severus, that I've been a completely arrogant, insensitive and snobbish toerag in the past, but if I'm willing to change, why can't you?!"

"SHUT UP! You don't know half of the pain you've caused me, perfect-charming-noble-saint Potter!"

"Yes, I do! You were angry with me because I kept on bullying you and hexing you, and you only wanted to be left alone. You were deeply jealous of me, because I seemed to have everything you didn't!"

That was true, Snape thought bitterly to himself. While he had an abusive father and a mother who neglected him, James had two loving parents who doted on him. While he was a oddball, a social outcast, James had been popular, being an incredibly excellent Chaser on the Gryffindor Team (so much so that Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, Angelina, Katie & Alicia had asked him to coach them for Quidditch practice) and also being ridiculously intelligent and outstanding in his studies. And just when James couldn't make Snape anymore jealous, he had stolen _her_ from him...

As if reading Snape's thoughts, James said, much softer this time, "And Lily."

"DON'T say her name," spat Snape. But James was relentless.

"Why not? Do you not still love her? I can't imagine any other reason why you would defect to Dumbledore's side."

"YOU STOLE HER FROM ME!" Snape roared, and even James cringed a little, wincing. "YOU STOLE HER FROM ME, OF ALL THE PEOPLE SHE HAD TO MARRY, IT HAD TO BE YOU, INSTEAD OF ME, YOU IMPUDENT, ARROGANT, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING..."

James watched with uncharacteristic calmness as Snape bellowed insults at him, and while he was offended, he patiently let Snape continue. Because James Potter, despite all his shortcomings, was a man of true, unshakeable integrity, and he knew that he was as impudent and arrogant as Snape had described him in his youth.

When Snape had finally finished his rant, breathing heavily like a rhino who had just fended off a pride of hungry lions, James continued looking at him with that infuriating calmness. "You're right. You're absolutely right."

Snape gritted his teeth when he couldn't, for the life of himself, detect any feigned sincerity from his voice.

"I WAS an impudent, arrogant, good-for-nothing toerag... in my youth. But I'm not anymore, nor do I wish to be one anymore. Dammit, Snape, why can't you see that? Why can't you see that I'm exhausted of fighting, exhausted of this ridiculous war between us, why can't you see that I am sick and tired of letting other people, Harry especially, suffer for our mistakes? Yes, _our_ mistakes, Snape..." He gave a pointed look at Snape's glare. "I legitimately hated you for calling Lily _that name_ in fifth year. No matter how badly I treated you, you didn't have to call her _that_."

Snape looked like he'd just been slapped, and opened his mouth to retort, but no sound came out. He glared at James, who glared back (but it was more sternly that provokingly) and finally, Snape spoke.

"You're right." The words tasted like bile in his mouth, but he had to admit, Merlin dammit all, that James was right.

James let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"You're right." Snape said, again, more to himself than to James, and to his horror... he found it easier and more liberating to say it.

"Thank you." James said, gratefully. He held out his hand. Snape eyed it warily, before, with a sigh of reluctance (what has the world come to?), he took it and shook it. There was no deliberate crushing of hands between them, just a civil, polite, even bordering-on-friendly handshake.

"Why?" Snape asked, when they had let go.

"Why what?" James asked, puzzled.

"Why did Lily have to choose you?" Snape asked quietly, and James was shocked to see that Snape had never looked more broken before.

James didn't know how to reply. _What should he say?_ Even now, he was still kind of mystified by the fact that Lily Evans had gone from hating him to falling for him in sixth year to loving him with all her heart and soul.

"I don't know the answer to that exactly..." He said truthfully, running his hand through his black hair again, his eyes reflecting the pain and grief of losing his beloved wife, the love of his life. "But I guess it was because I changed and matured. All those years I tried showing off in front of Lily, terrified of making a fool out of myself, but it only ended up pushing her away and her resenting me. But I loved her, and I finally took Sirius and Marlene's advice in genuinely transforming my behaviour and attitude, and, as it turned out, all I ever had to do was to simply be...myself."

Snape looked at him, a glint in his eyes, and for a moment, James was worried Snape would hex him. But instead, a rueful laugh came out.

"That's what I was most jealous about. That you _had_ to be the ideal person for Lily, the courageous, noble, full-of-integrity, caring man for her. Everything I wanted but could not be. I tried to convince myself for years that it was all a show, that you were just manipulating Lily, when deep down I knew it was true. And it made my behaviour look so, so childish and impudent."

James smiled, a genuine, sincere, friendly smile. "You know you're not so bad yourself."

Snape looked at him in surprise. He was half-worried he was going to die of surprises from James Potter that night.

"You defied Voldemort for Lily, and worked for Dumbledore as a double agent. You risked your life, you risked your beliefs to avenge her. I never thought I'd say this, but you're brave; much, much braver than _Wormtail._ " James almost spat out the last word, seething with anger about how he had betrayed them.

"I-I... well, thanks." Snape cleared his throat.

James nodded. "Now... can you Please. Stop. Tormenting. Harry. He's not the best at Potions, I know, but that's no reason for you to mistreat him. If you don't want to do it for my sake, at least do it for Lily's. He's her son as well, and I can bet you my entire fortune that she will most certainly _not_ be pleased that you have been mistreating her son."

Snape sighed. "Fine. But don't expect me to dote on him."

"Good Lord, no." James grinned slightly, and the two chuckled awkwardly, before falling back into silence.

"It was nice talking to you, Sna-Severus." James said, holding his hand out again. Snape hesitated, but soon shook it more firmly this time. They met each other's eyes resolutely.

"It was nice talking to you too... James. Good night."

"Good night."

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Harry had received many shocks in his life, but none quite as shocking as the time his father had come back from the dead... or that Snape had stopped being so harsh and bitter towards him.

During Potions, much to Harry, Ron & Hermione's surprise, and to Malfoy's utter dismay, Snape had stopped picking on Harry. In fact, he had almost ignored Harry throughout lessons, and when they did have to interact, Snape was always shockingly cordial and civil with Harry. No disparaging sneers, no sarcastic insults, nothing. When Snape had responded with "Thank you, Potter" when Harry came up to his desk to hand over his Strengthening Solution, Harry had nearly dropped his vial in surprise.

Whenever Harry asked, James would only smile wryly and tell Harry he didn't need to know. It was only years later, when Harry viewed the deceased Snape's memories in the Penseive, did he finally understand what his father did.

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James, followed by Sirius, Remus, Moody, Tonks and Kingsley, ran as fast as their legs could carry them throughout the Department of Mysteries, searching desperately for Harry.

" _What happened, Severus?" James ran down, worry and concern etched all over his face._

" _Harry believes that Voldemort has gotten you at the Ministry, James. He fainted during his OWL exam and had visions of you being tortured by the Dark Lord." Snape said matter-of-factly._

 _With a steely determination in his blazing hazel eyes, James said, "I'm going to save him."_

" _No! That's ridiculous, James! You can't take on 12 Death Eaters on your own." Snape sputtered indignantly._

" _He won't be alone." Sirius growled, though the hostility wasn't aimed at Snape. It had taken a while, but James had managed to get Snape and Sirius to somewhat reconcile as well._

" _You two... Argh! You're hopeless." Snape all but threw up his hands in frustration._

" _I. Won't. Let. My. Son. Die. I won't let Lily's and your sacrifices be in vain." James said fiercely._

 _Snape started, gaping at James. "M-my sacrifice? What-"_

" _Honestly, Severus, like it or not, Harry owes you for saving him and what may not have done it for him directly, but you did it for Lily, and Harry is Lily's son." James looked Snape in the eye, and clapped him on the back. "So, thank you. Even though you didn't do it for us."_

 _As they left, Snape stared after them._

' _Yes, I did it for Lily. And also...for you. For the both of you."_

 _His old self hated himself for it, and he would never admit to his dying day, but he already considered James Potter a friend._

When they reached, James's first reaction was to send a Stunning Spell towards Lucius Malfoy, who narrowly dodged it and scowled at James.

"Potter," he snarled. "As troublesome as your son, I see."

"Spiffing observation, Malfoy. Where do you think he got it from?"

Lucius snarled and sent a Killing Curse at James, who swiftly dodged it and thought, ' _Expelliarmus!'_ in his head.

Malfoy's wand flew out of his hand and into James's.

"Say goodbye, Malfoy." James said viciously, and sent out a continuous flurry of powerful jinxes and curses that sent Malfoy flying into the wall, before crumpling to the ground, unconscious and covered in painful sores.

Harry watched in awe as his father unleashed his fury on the Death Eaters, battling two of them at the same time, just like Kingsley. With a flourish of his wand, James Disarmed one of them whilst deflecting a hex from the other.

" _REDUCTO!"_ James bellowed, and there was a deafening 'BANG' as the Disarmed Death Eater was blasted into smithereens. He swiftly turned, jets of light shooting out from his wand as he duelled the remaining Death Eater, before his opponent collapsed under the weight of three Stunning Spells. He then spotted Dolohov, trying to attack Harry and grab the prophecy.

He roared as he slammed his muscular body into Dolohov, ramming him to the side, and Harry only managed to grab the prophecy. Dolohov turned with a vicious snarl on his twisted face, and the two of them began duelling fiercely. Harry tried to shout for his Dad when he saw Dolohov draw back his wand, ready to perform the same slashing movement that had felled Hermione and Moody... but he didn't need to.

James had suddenly lunged forward just as Dolohov was drawing back his wand, and punched the Death Eater clean in the face. There was a sickening crunch as Dolohov's nose broke, and its owner howled in agony. "That was for hexing Lily in seventh year!" Bellowed James, before he raised Malfoy's wand along with his. A pair of devastating Reductor Curses blew Dolohov into a few, miniscule bits that landed in front of James.

Neville and Harry watched, dumbstruck.

"Harry..." Neville said. "Your Dad's a badass." Harry only nodded absentmindedly in response.

"Harry! Neville!" James said, running over." Listen to me, get out of here. You know the way the headquarters, just take the Floo-"

There was a flash of light, and Tonks fell at Bellatrix's feet, knocked out cold.

"GO!" James said, before rushing forward to meet Bellatrix. Harry supported Neville on his shoulders, trudging slowly towards the door. However, when they reached, Harry couldn't help but look back.

Bellatrix was cackling wildly, dodging all of James's curses while shooting several Killing Curses back that he barely dodged. Harry realized his father was tired after taking down so many Death Eaters.

"Your dear son looks so much like you, Jamesie dear! A pity he's been defiled by his Mudblood mother!" Bellatrix taunted. James's eyes blazed, looking as though they would shoot out fire. Rage and hatred coursed through him at the mention of his dead wife.

"DON'T – YOU – DARE – INSULT – LILY," James slashed with his wand relentlessly, forcing Bellatrix to step back from the force of his spells, "YOU – DISGUSTING – VILE – SLUT!"

The two continued clashing ferociously, their wands flashing like swords, until both drew them back.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"CREPITUS NOVA!"

From James's wand shot out the most massive, most powerful blast of white light covered in blazing golden flames that Harry had ever seen, hitting Bellatrix with a fiery explosion that put a Blasting Curse to utter shame. The entire Department of Mysteries was rocked to the core, so much so that all battling Order members and Death Eaters stumbled and fell.

At the same time, a jet of green light shot out of Bellatrix's wand and hurtled towards James. When the blinding light had cleared, all that was left of Bellatrix was a blackened patch amidst a still raging fire.

...But when Harry turned, his father was clutching his chest, his face deathly pale.

The Killing Curse had hit its mark.

James turned, and gave one, final apologetic smile that conveyed 15 years of his incredible, immeasurable fatherly love and affection for his son, before he ell back and disappeared through the Veil.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

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Professor James Potter was a highly popular teacher. Everyone, even some of the Slytherins, loved and respected him. He had been highly competent at teaching his classes, especially his OWL classes, everything there was to know about defensive spells, counter-curses and duelling, going even so far as to help Harry coach them in the DA. While he did take his job very seriously, he also wasn't afraid to show his fun-loving and humorous side to his classes. Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean and Neville had always roared with laughter when he recounted his pranks of various students during his Hogwarts years. Fred and George practically worshipped the ground on which he walked. Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Ron and Ginny had eagerly always come to him for pointers on Quidditch. His story of how he and Sirius had escaped two policeman and knocked out three Death Eaters on Sirius's motorcycle deeply amused even Hermione, and left Parvati and Lavender in absolute awe.

As Dumbledore gave a funeral speech about James Potter to the students in the Great Hall, numerous sounds of weeping were heard. Harry buried his face in his hands and sobbed bitterly, while Ron, Hermione and Ginny held his hands and comforted him; Ron also looked like he was going to cry, and Hermione and Ginny were already weeping. Several feet away, Fred and George were inconsolable, sobbing and blubbering whilst being held by a sobbing Angelina, Alicia and Katie. Cho Chang and Luna Lovegood were also weeping quietly from the Ravenclaw table; Cho had been comforted and counselled by James about Cedric's death, and Luna's friendship with Harry had been openly supported by James as well. Professor McGonagall tried her best to look stoic and dignified, but failed miserably as she shed tears continuously over her dear student, wiping tears surreptitiously with her handkerchief. Sirius and Remus were there as well, both of them with looks of unimaginable anguish on their faces as they too, wept for their fallen brother.

Severus Snape looked at Harry sympathetically. The boy had lost his father, twice now. Snape had a sudden urge to go to the Underworld and strangle James for dying. Instead, he chuckled bitterly, trying his best to remain expressionless, smug even, but ultimately failed to hide his grief and misery. _Like husband, like wife._ Snape thought bitterly. He looked wistfully at the ceiling, a tear trickling down his face. First he'd lost the woman he loved... now he had lost the unlikely friend that he had never expected to make.

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The last thing James remembered, as he fell through the Veil, was Harry's anguished scream. He sat up with a jolt, looking around wildly, before realising that he was in a completely alien place. It was completely white, with no materials, no infrastructure, nothing whatsoever in sight.

"W-where am I?" He wondered aloud.

"James?" He froze, recognizing that voice. Not daring to believe his ears, he turned.

She was as young and stunningly beautiful as he remembered, her emerald-green eyes as lively as ever, her auburn hair falling down way past her shoulders.

"L-l-Lily?"

She nodded, her tears brimming in her eyes. "Yes, James. It's me."

He all but sprinted to her, and she did the same for him, and they met in the middle less than five seconds later. James spun her around as they wrapped their arms around each other tightly, clutching each other like their lives depended on it. He spun her around several times before finally putting her down and kissing her hungrily, passionately, and Lily responded with equal fervor, both of them ravenous for a taste of each other after being separated for so long. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart.

"It's you, Lily... it's really you." James whispered into her hair, as he pulled her in for another embrace, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Yes." Lily sobbed unabashedly, clutching her beloved husband tightly as though he might disappear again. "I'm here. And you're finally back." She buried her face in his shoulder, relishing her husband's warmth.

They broke apart, staring at each other lovingly and tenderly.

"Thank you, James." Lily said, giving a watery smile.

"About what?" James grinned.

"For taking care of Harry. And... for making peace with Snape."

James ran a hand through his unruly black hair, a habit which Lily was still extremely fond of.

"It was unbelievably hard, but... worth it. He's actually a good person. No, scratch that, he's one of the bravest people I know." James said, still in awe of that fact.

Lily laughed heartily, before melting into her husband's loving embrace once more.

 **Author's Note: THE END! To clarify things, James's soul was sealed in his body for 14 years until Harry's fifth year, so his couldn't join Lily's. However, Lily could see what was going on in Harry's life, and that included James reconciling with Snape.**

 **Also, that new spell was an invention of mine by the grace of God, which means 'Exploding Nova' in Latin... I hope Google Translate did it correctly. If any of you have any suggestions for a replacement of that spell, involving a combination of light & fire &/or explosion please drop them in the reviews, along with their English meaning please!**

 **Also, there's no Umbridge in this FFN. I can't even bear to write about her, she's such a toad.**


End file.
